Coping with innovation challenges through games

– Get a quick introduction to how games have been used up until now to secure strong collaborative exploration within innovation and change based on a new international book.

– Get a chance to participate in hands-on game sessions with a selection of strong innovation games (see description below).

– Get to sit in on a facilitated dialogue on future innovation challenges and how games might be supportive in approaching, framing and tackling these.

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What can be observed in the last couple of years is an increasing interest in how to tackle innovation challenges that arise because of the introduction of new technologies and rapid market changes; more global/glocal oriented companies and a multitude of cultural aspects present in the organisations, among others.

Games have in the past showed to be a useful and effective vehicle to connect silos and create communicative spaces for mutual learning, shared communication and innovative framing of challenges at hand. Nordic countries have a strong history in the use of games for such purposes and innovation game practitioners are receiving increased interest from around the globe.

In this session, we aim to reflect on existing games through concrete hands-on demonstration and take the next step in terms of how games can be used in the future. Participants will experience a series of games followed by an invitation to join a creative dialogue about how games might support coping with millennial innovation challenges.

Coping with innovation challenges through games

Games to try at the session

Strategic Derby

A problem with many organizations’ strategic activities is that they are often static in nature, only consisting of different kinds of analysis and planning. Furthermore, since strategic decisions usually are long-term decisions, leaders rarely get usable feedback from their strategic decisions in time to learn from market trends and changes, competitor moves, and their own mistakes. In this way, many organizations develop their strategies with static models in mind that rarely improves the organization’s strategic thinking from year to year. This means that organizations seldom connect their strategy making with organizational learning and creativity. With the game, Strategic Derby, we have created a way for organizations to reconnect strategy making with creativity and learning.

In the game, leaders, managers, and business developers see their strategies rolled out against competitor moves, get instant feedback on their decisions, and generate ideas based on the scenarios that plays out. This game has helped organizations ‘open up’ strategic processes, generate more innovative strategic inputs, and helped participants improve and qualify their strategic thinking.

Business Branching

According to influential business thinkers, such as Rita McGrath and Henry Chesbrough, companies can no longer expect sustainable business’ advantages, but are forced to seek out temporary advantages on a regular basis to compete. This means that it becomes important for companies to build up a portfolio of business opportunities, so they can avoid significant declines in profit when specific markets are disrupted – or maybe even profit from seeking out certain business opportunities at the right time.

The problem is the process around when to seek out, designate resources, and develop new business opportunities. Building on global innovation thinkers Rita McGrath, Vijay Govindarajan, and Chris Timble, the game assists leaders, business developers, and managers in the process of developing new business opportunities and delegating resources with the right timing.

Innovation Diamond game

The Innovation Diamond Game is a fun and interactive board game, where you familiarize yourself with four leadership roles essential in the early stages of the innovation process. The game is designed to add value to “messy” and complex innovative processes. Through a number of engaging and fun tasks you unfold an innovative focus point, and thereby learn the strength of using four different leadership roles when innovating. The game facilitates individual as well as organizational learning.